Veteran BJP leader and former union minister O. Rajagopal acknowledged the formidable position of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Thiruvananthapuram. At an award function attended by Tharoor, Rajagopal expressed his belief that Tharoor's strong connection with the people of Thiruvananthapuram, cultivated since his arrival from Palakkad, makes him unbeatable in the constituency.
Reflecting on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections where Rajagopal was the runner-up to Tharoor, the BJP leader emphasized Tharoor's unassailable position in the region. After Rajagopal's speech, Tharoor humbly showed his respect by touching the veteran BJP leader's feet.
Tharoor himself has expressed readiness to contest for the fourth time from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2024, confidently stating his belief in securing victory, even if pitted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tharoor's political journey began unexpectedly in 2009 when, as a former undersecretary general at the United Nations, he secured a Congress party ticket to contest from Thiruvananthapuram. Since then, he has achieved a hat-trick of wins, except for a challenging period in 2014 following the unfortunate demise of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Tharoor secured victory with a substantial margin of 99,989 votes. His earlier victories included a margin of 15,470 votes in 2014 and an impressive 99,998 votes in his debut election in 2009.
For the upcoming Lok Sabha election, speculation suggests the possibility of senior BJP leaders such as S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar contesting against Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | Congress MLC Hariprasad Warns of Godhra-like Incident Repeat in Karnataka
